Sorting content assets

Abstract

A network device obtains a first number of stars associated with a fan rating of a first asset by a first user, and obtains a total first number of fan reviews of the first asset. The network device obtains a first release year associated with the first asset, and determines a first sorting value based on a function of the first number of stars, the total first number of reviews, and the first release year. The network device sorts the first asset among other assets using the determined first sorting value.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method, comprising:
 receiving, by a device, a search request, that includes one or more search parameters, for searching a corpus of assets comprising items of digital content stored in one or more asset databases; 
 identifying, by the device using a search engine, a list of assets, from the corpus of assets stored in the one or more asset databases, that are relevant to the one or more search parameters, wherein the list of assets comprises a first asset and other assets; 
 obtaining, by the device from one or more fan rating databases, a first number of stars associated with fan ratings of the first asset, wherein the first asset comprises a first item of digital content; 
 obtaining, by the device from the one or more fan rating databases, a total first number of fan reviews of the first asset, wherein the total first number of fan reviews of the first asset comprises a total number of times that the first asset has been reviewed by a plurality of users over a period of time; 
 obtaining, by the device from the one or more fan rating databases, a first release year associated with the first asset; 
 determining, by the device, a first sorting value based on a function of the first number of stars, the total first number of fan reviews, and the first release year, wherein the function determines the first sorting value by multiplying the first number of stars by a first constant, adding the total first number of fan reviews multiplied by a second constant, and adding the first release year; 
 sorting, by the device, the first asset among the other assets using the determined first sorting value to create a sorted asset list; 
 providing the sorted asset list to be displayed, in response to the search request; 
 receiving, at the device, an indication of a selected asset from the sorted asset list; and 
 generating and transmitting, by the device, an asset transport stream based on the selected asset. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first number of stars comprises a quantity of stars between one and five, wherein each additional star between the one and five stars represents a higher fan rating of the first asset. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the function determines the sorting value using the following relation:
   first sorting value=first number of stars* WC   1 +total first number of fan reviews* WC   2 +first release year, 
 wherein WC 1  comprises the first constant and wherein WC 2  comprises the second constant. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the first constant WC 1  equals 10 6  and wherein the second constant WC 2  equals 10 5 . 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the function comprises a first function or a second function and further comprising:
 selecting either the first function or the second function based on the total first number of fan reviews. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein selecting either the first function or the second function comprises:
   if the total first number of fan reviews is greater than or equal to five, then the first sorting value=first number of stars*10 7 +total first number of fan reviews*10 6 +first release year, or 
   if the total first number of fan reviews is less than five, then the first sorting value=first number of stars*10 6 +total first number of fan reviews*10 5 +first release year. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the list of assets further comprises a second asset, and further comprising:
 obtaining a second number of stars associated with fan ratings of the second asset, wherein the second asset comprises a second item of digital content; 
 obtaining a total second number of fan reviews of the second asset, wherein the total second number of fan reviews of the second asset comprises a total number of times that the second asset has been reviewed by the plurality of users; 
 obtaining a second release year associated with the second asset; 
 determining a second sorting value based on a function of the second number of stars, the total second number of fan reviews, and the second release year; and 
 sorting the second asset among the other assets using the determined second sorting value. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the function comprises a first function, a second function, or a third function and further comprising:
 selecting either the first function, the second function or the third function based on the total first number of fan reviews and the first number of stars. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein selecting either the first function, the second function, or the third function comprises:
   if the first number of stars is >=4 and the total first number of fan reviews is greater than or equal to five, then the first sorting value=first number of stars*10 8 +total first number of fan reviews, 
   if the first number of stars is =5 and the total first number of fan reviews is <than five, then the first sorting value=first number of stars*10 6 +total first number of fan reviews, or 
   if the first number of stars is =3 and the total first number of fan reviews is >=5, then the first sorting value=first number of stars*10 5 +total first number of fan reviews. 
 
     
     
       10. A device, comprising:
 a communication interface configured to connect to a network, and to:
 receive a search request, that includes one or more search parameters, for searching a corpus of assets comprising items of digital content stored in one or more asset databases; and 
 
 a processing unit configured to implement a search engine and to:
 identify, using the search engine, a list of assets, from the corpus of assets stored in the one or more asset databases, that are relevant to the one or more search parameters, wherein the list of assets comprises a first asset and other assets, 
 obtain, from one or more fan rating databases via the communication interface, a first number of stars associated with fan ratings of a first asset, wherein the first asset comprises a first item of digital content, 
 obtain, from the one or more fan rating databases via the communication interface, a total first number of fan reviews of the first asset, wherein the total first number of fan reviews of the first asset comprises a total number of times that the first asset has been reviewed by a plurality of users over a period of time, 
 obtain, from the one or more fan rating databases via the communication interface, a first release year associated with the first asset, 
 determine a first sorting value based on a function of the first number of stars, the total first number of reviews, and the first release year, wherein the function determines the first sorting value by multiplying the first number of stars by a first constant, adding the total first number of fan reviews multiplied by a second constant, and adding the first release year, 
 sort the first asset among the other assets using the determined first sorting value to create a sorted asset list, 
 provide, via the communication interface, the sorted asset list to be displayed in response to the search request, 
 receive, via the communication interface, an indication of a selected asset from the sorted asset list, and 
 generate and transmit, via the communication interface, an asset transport stream based on the selected asset. 
 
 
     
     
       11. The device of  claim 10 , wherein the first number of stars comprises a quantity of stars between one and five, wherein each additional star between the one and five stars represents a higher fan rating of the first asset. 
     
     
       12. The device of  claim 10 , wherein the function determines the first sorting value using the following relation:
   first sorting value=first number of stars* WC   1 +total first number of fan reviews* WC   2 +first release year, 
 wherein WC 1  comprises the first constant and wherein WC 2  comprises the second constant. 
 
     
     
       13. The network device of  claim 12 , wherein the first constant WC 1  equals 10 6  and wherein the second constant WC 2  equals 10 5 . 
     
     
       14. The device of  claim 10 , wherein the function comprises a first function or a second function and wherein the processing unit is further configured to:
 select either the first function or the second function based on the total first number of fan reviews. 
 
     
     
       15. The device of  claim 14 , wherein when selecting either the first function or the second function, the processing unit is further configured to:
   if the total first number of fan reviews is greater than or equal to five, then the first sorting value=first number of stars*10 7 +total first number of fan reviews*10 6 +first release year, or 
   if the total first number of fan reviews is less than five, then the first sorting value=first number of stars*10 6 +total first number of fan reviews*10 5 +first release year. 
 
     
     
       16. The device of  claim 10 , wherein the list of assets further comprises a second asset, and wherein the processing unit is further configured to:
 obtain a second number of stars associated with fan ratings of the second asset, wherein the second asset comprises a second item of digital content; 
 obtain a total second number of fan reviews of the second asset, wherein the total second number of fan reviews of the second asset comprises a total number of times that the second asset has been reviewed by the plurality of users; 
 obtain a second release year associated with the second asset; 
 determine a second sorting value based on a function of the second number of stars, the total second number of fan reviews, and the second release year; and 
 sort the second asset among the other assets using the determined second sorting value. 
 
     
     
       17. The device of  claim 10 , wherein the function comprises a first function, a second function, or a third function and wherein the processing unit is further configured to:
 select either the first function, the second function or the third function based on the total first number of fan reviews and the first number of stars. 
 
     
     
       18. The device of  claim 17 , wherein when selecting either the first function, the second function, or the third function, the processing unit is further configured to:
   if the first number of stars is >=4 and the total first number of fan reviews is greater than or equal to five, then the first sorting value=first number of stars*10 8 +total first number of fan reviews, 
   if the first number of stars is =5 and the total first number of fan reviews is <than five, then the first sorting value=first number of stars*10 6 +total first number of fan reviews, or 
   if the first number of stars is =3 and the total first number of fan reviews is >=5, then the first sorting value=first number of stars*10 5 +total first number of fan reviews. 
 
     
     
       19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions executable by at least one processing unit of a device, the computer-readable medium comprising one or more instructions for:
 receiving, by the device, a search request, that includes one or more search parameters, for searching a corpus of assets comprising items of digital content stored in one or more asset databases; 
 identifying, using a search engine, a list of assets, from the corpus of assets stored in the one or more asset databases, that are relevant to the one or more search parameters, wherein the list of assets comprises a first asset and other assets; 
 obtaining, from one or more fan rating databases, a first number of stars associated with fan ratings of a first asset, wherein the first asset comprises a first item of image, video or audio digital content and wherein the first number of stars comprises an average of a number of stars applied by a group of reviewing users over a first period of time; 
 obtaining, from the one or more fan rating databases, a total first number of fan reviews of the first asset, wherein the total first number of fan reviews comprise a sum total of reviews by the group of reviewing users over a second period of time; 
 obtaining, from the one or more fan rating databases, a first release year associated with the first asset; 
 determining a first sorting value based on a mathematical function applied to the first number of stars, the total first number of fan reviews, and the first release year, wherein the mathematical function determines the first sorting value by multiplying the first number of stars by a first constant, adding the total first number of fan reviews multiplied by a second constant, and adding the first release year; 
 sorting the first asset among the other assets using the determined first sorting value to produce a sorted asset list; 
 causing the sorted asset list to be sent to be displayed in response to the search request; 
 receiving, at the device, an indication of a selected asset from the sorted asset list; and 
 generating and transmitting, by the device, an asset transport stream based on the selected asset. 
 
     
     
       20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 19 , wherein the mathematical function determines the first sorting value using the following relation:
   first sorting value=first number of stars* WC   1 +total first number of fan reviews* WC   2 +first release year, 
 wherein WC 1  comprises the first constant and wherein WC 2  comprises the second constant. 
 
     
     
       21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 19 , wherein the list of assets further comprises a second asset, and the computer-readable medium further comprising one or more instructions for:
 obtaining a second number of stars associated with fan ratings of the second asset, wherein the second asset comprises a second item of image, video or audio digital content and wherein the second number of stars comprises an average of a number of stars applied by the group of reviewing users; 
 obtaining a total second number of fan reviews of the second asset, wherein the total second number of fan reviews of the second asset comprises a sum total of reviews by the group of reviewing users over the period of time; 
 obtaining a second release year associated with the second asset; 
 determining a second sorting value based on the mathematical function applied to the second number of stars, the total second number of fan reviews, and the second release year; and 
 sorting the second asset among the other assets using the determined second sorting value to produce the list of sorted assets. 
 
     
     
       22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 19 , wherein the mathematical function comprises a first function or a second function and the computer-readable medium further comprising one or more instructions for:
 selecting either the first function or the second function based on the total first number of fan reviews, 
 wherein selecting either the first function or the second function comprises:
   if the total first number of fan reviews is greater than or equal to five, then the first sorting value=first number of stars*10 7 +total first number of fan reviews*10 6 +first release year, or 
   if the total first number of fan reviews is less than five, then the first sorting value=first number of stars*10 6 +total first number of fan reviews*10 5 +first release year. 
 
 
     
     
       23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 19 , wherein the function comprises a first function, a second function, or a third function and the one or more computer-readable medium further comprising one or more instructions for:
 selecting either the first function, the second function or the third function based on the total first number of fan reviews and the first number of stars,
 wherein selecting either the first function, the second function, or the third function comprises:
   if the first number of stars is >=4 and the total first number of fan reviews is greater than or equal to five, then the first sorting value=first number of stars*10 8 +total first number of fan reviews, 
   if the first number of stars is =5 and the total first number of fan reviews is <than five, then the first sorting value=first number of stars*10 6 +total first number of fan reviews, or 
   if the first number of stars is =3 and the total first number of fan reviews is >=5, then the first sorting value=first number of stars*10 5 +total first number of fan reviews.